Tuesday, October 14, 2014

[Orchidology • 2014] Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum • A New Species of Paphiopedilum discovered in northern Laos


Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum
O. GRUSS, N.RUNGRUANG, Y. CHAISURIYAKUL et I. DIONISIO
A new and very distinct species of the genus Paphiopedilum from north-Laos 

In the last few years, a large number of plants of the genus Paphiopedilum as well as other species, came from Laos on the market in Thailand. Frequently in the past few months, a number of very small size plants of the genus Paphiopedilum appeared as Paph. canhii in the trade. Niwat RUNGRUANG, a grower from Thailand also received a number of plants from these collections and when the plants came to bloom in May 2014, he was surprised because he realized that these Paphs were not Paph. canhii. Therefore Niwat RUNGRUANG sought contact with slipper orchid specialists in Thailand and Germany and asked for an analysis and identification of the plants, based on several Iowering plants and detailed picture material (in particular by Olaf Gruß in Germany). 
While the plants with their marbled leaves appear quite similar to Paph. canhii, the blossom at first glance clearly show much broader petals an intensive red-purple coloring, as well as an entirely different staminodium. Also the underside of the leaves differs significantly in the new species. While Paph. canhii is rather red- purple speckled, this new species shows a gray green bottom with wide purple veins.

the naming is in honor of Niwat RUNGRUANG in the 2rd part of his name, but also means rung = flowering period, success, prosperity and Suriya = growing, increasingly


Olaf Gruß, Niwat Rungruang, Yongyouth Chaisuriyakul and Ibn Dionisio. Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum, a new species discovered in Northern-Laos. [Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum, eine neue Art aus Nord-Laos]. OrchideenJournal